Coads Green Auxiliary Unit Patrol

Thank you for selecting information on the Coads Green Auxiliary Unit
Patrol and Operational Base. The information below has been supplied by our Devon CIO Nina Hannaford.

Research into this patrol and its training is ongoing. The information below is published from
various sources and is by no means conclusive. If information is not listed below
it does not necessarily mean the information is not out there but normally means CART researchers
have not found it yet.

If you have any information on this patrol or can help with research in this area please do
contact us.

Coads Green is a rural village to the East of Bodmin Moor.

From the very first meeting in Whitehall on July 1940 the Intelligence Officer for Devon and Cornwall (named
Auxiliary Units SW Area) was Captain (later Major) J W Stuart Edmundson an officer in the Royal Engineers. He
liaised with the regular army and received supplies and equipment and formed all the Patrols. He was assisted by
Lieutenant (later Captain) John “Jack” Dingley who became IO for Cornwall in 1943 though he may have assumed the
roll before that.

In November 1943 Devon and Cornwall were separated and Edmundson was succeeded in Cornwall by Captain John
Dingley and in Devon by Major W W “Bill” Harston who would
remain in command until near stand down. At the end of Harston's command he would cover “No 4 Region” being the
whole of the South West Peninsular and Wales.

The IOs were being withdrawn from around August 1944 leaving the Area and Group Commanders.

After 1941 a “grouping” system was developed where some patrols within a demographic area would train together
under more local command. Coads Green was part of group 6 along with Morval (Looe), Launceston, Liskeard,
St Germans, Pelynt, Lansallos, Menheniot, St Keyne and Bridgerule (now in Devon). They were under the group command
of Captain G H Sergeant from Liskeard along with Lieutenant W Crichton (discharged May 1944 due to ill health) and
2nd Lieutenant J F William Mewton.

Captain G H Sergeant from Liskeard was also the area Commander for this and group 5.

The gardens are occasionally open to the public under the National Gardens Scheme
seen here.

They may have moved from this location due to the Hall being used as a RAMC
hospital. The Hall was demolished in 1948 and replaced with a more modern house.

Operational Base
Two

The second OB is located in an old quarry at
Kersbrook Farm near Coads Green. The Defence of Britain database records this OB as being built by the Patrol in
1943. It was 15ft x 12ft and made from wood and curved corrugated sheeting.

It is unknown if it's still
standing.

Other Sites
Nearby

The Patrol used the upper rooms of the village shop
as a bomb store. Situated on the main ( B3257) through the village, it is now a private
residence.

The old village
shop.

Currently unknown

Currently unknown

Unknown but it is assumed they had access to the normal weapons and equipment seen here.

In 1999, after 55 years, Walter Tucker was finally awarded the Defence
Medal. Although delighted he felt sad it had taken so long : “When the war ended, I thought we might have had a bit
of an acknowledgement, as we did work very hard and had an awful lot to learn”

Exempt from the Army because of his work both on the land and repairing
vital machinery, Walter was soon singled out for his secret service after volunteering for the home guard.
“Everyone used to say 'They belong to the Secret Service'. That is what they thought...I used to quite enjoy
it”

Walter Tucker recalled how two men did head off to war but were sent
back as their potential role within the Auxiliary Units was considered more important. At one point he was told
they could be sent to France but as that did not happen they continued with their training.

Other memories he recalled included how one night Arthur Harris, their
dispatch rider, went to the pub and using specially designed pockets sewn into his coat, smuggled more than 20
bottles of beer back to the OB for the boys.

When the cook, Jack Creber, used to do his morning fry-ups, the men all
joked that if Hitler invaded he would soon find them all once he smelt the bacon cooking !

The Defence of Britain database made extra notes on these locations and
they are stored at English Heritage in Swindon.